Nuggets-Timberwolves Preview

By NOEY KUPCHANPosted Feb 11 2014 3:43PM

The All-Star break couldn't be coming at a better time for the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves, who have both been bit by the injury bug.

The Nuggets and Timberwolves try to snap their respective losing streaks Wednesday night before getting some much-needed time off.

Denver (24-26) has been outscored by an average of 27.7 points in opening a four-game trip with three straight defeats. It got especially ugly in Monday's 119-80 loss to Indiana as leading scorer Ty Lawson (18.0 points per game) sat out due to a fractured left rib.

"We're not healthy, our numbers are down," said coach Brian Shaw, whose team is also missing backup point guard Nate Robinson (sprained ACL). "We're short-handed at certain positions, but with that being said, we still have to show some fight."

Randy Foye had 10 assists but scored just nine points while going 2 of 13 from the field. The Nuggets were held to 31.5 percent shooting, their worst mark in 10 seasons.

"I can take losing if we play hard and we get beat, but I don't want our guys to display being a loser. There's a difference between losing and being a loser," Shaw said. "When things go bad, I don't want everybody to splinter off in different directions and jump off the ship."

Denver has dropped nine of 14, a stretch during which it's allowed 112.1 points per game.

"Our defense has been a problem all year long," Shaw added, "and until we start getting mad and taking more pride in our individual matchups, it's going to be a long, long year for us."

The Timberwolves (24-28) are also hoping to get back on track after dropping six of seven, including a season-worst four straight while surrendering an average of 107.0 points. Minnesota's woes continued Monday in a 107-89 loss to Houston, dropping to 6-22 when giving up more than 100 points.

"We've just got to keep pushing," center Ronny Turiaf said. "That's what basketball is all about. When you have tough stretches like that, it reveals character. Do you cave in? Or do you just try to keep your head above water, just keep pushing and keep working and try to get better? You know that at the end of the day, things have to turn around eventually."

Kevin Love scored 31 points after missing two of the previous three games due to neck and quad injuries. The Timberwolves continue to play without their second- and third-leading scorers in Kevin Martin (broken thumb) and Nikola Pekovic (ankle bursitis).

"It's burning the candle at both ends basically, with there being less and less games and we just can't continue to lose," said Love, averaging 31.4 points and 14.7 rebounds over his last seven games. "Hopefully we'll win this game on Wednesday and we'll go into the break, get a few days rest and guys will continue to get healthy, get a little break with their mind and body."

Minnesota has dropped three straight and 23 of 27 against Denver, including two defeats in November. The Timberwolves sit in 11th place in the Western Conference, one game behind their Northwest Division rival.

"When we're below or above .500, we weren't looking at the record. We just want to play and do our thing and play as a team and improve," Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio said. "Next opponent is Denver. It's a team that's right above us and we just want to play good and win that game."

Minnesota coach Rick Adelman is expected to return after missing Monday's game due to personal reasons.

Copyright 2014 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Love leads Wolves past depleted Nuggets 117-90

By DAVE CAMPBELLPosted Feb 13 2014 12:05AM

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The Minnesota Timberwolves sent Kevin Love off to NBA All-Star weekend with a complete performance and a critical win.

The Denver Nuggets played as though they were already relaxing on a tropical beach.

Love started practicing early for All-Star festivities, making six of 11 shots from 3-point range and totaling 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Timberwolves to a 117-90 victory over the Nuggets on Wednesday night.

"It's always a tough game before the break to come out with a lot of energy, and we did," Love said. "We were excited to play. We knew we needed a win."

Love, chosen as a first-time starter for the Western Conference team, will also take part in the 3-point shooting contest this weekend in New Orleans. In five February games, Love has averaged 32.6 points. He sat last week because of a stiff neck, and then with a bruised left quadriceps, but his banged-up body hasn't hindered his production when he is on the court.

"I was pretty sore before the game still, but once we got going I felt good," Love said. "I was definitely happy we got the large lead, and I really, really needed to sit down those last eight minutes."

Corey Brewer added 22 points, J.J. Barea pitched in 18 points on 8-for-8 shooting, and Ricky Rubio had 11 points, 12 assists and a season-high seven steals for the Wolves, who had coach Rick Adelman back on the sideline. He missed the previous game on Monday, an absence he said was related to his wife's health.

"We needed a game like that after having a tough stretch," Rubio said.

The curmudgeon coach wasn't quite satisfied, calling timeout at one point in the second quarter when a turnover gave the Nuggets a fast-break dunk off a lob pass from Randy Foye to Jordan Hamilton. That cut the lead to 47-29.

"I don't know, 40 would be nice to be ahead by," Adelman said. "I'd relax then. We have a tendency to give up points quickly."

The Wolves trail eighth-place Phoenix by six games.

Hamilton led the Nuggets with 16 points and seven assists, and J.J. Hickson added 14 points and 13 rebounds. Reeling from injuries, the Nuggets (24-27) have dropped nine of 13 and four games in a row to fall behind the Wolves (25-28) and into 11th place.

"There's really only one thing to say, and that's thank God for the All-Star break," coach Brian Shaw said.

Foye, forced into a point guard role because Ty Lawson and Nate Robinson are out, said he has been playing with a strained hamstring. He then sustained a nerve injury in his leg.

"It was extremely painful, but I fought through it," said Foye, who inadvertently elbowed Rubio in the chin in the first quarter. Rubio returned after receiving five stitches.

The Nuggets, who have given up the third-most points per game, left shooters open all over the court. The Wolves made them pay with 52.3 percent shooting from the floor and 20 fast-break points.

"We're getting torched by everybody from the beginning of the game to the end of the game," Shaw said.

The Wolves were ahead 19-3 before the Nuggets were even warmed up, and they built their lead as big as 61-37 late in the second quarter on a 3-pointer by Chase Budinger, who finished with 12 points.

The Nuggets never came closer than 17 points after halftime. Brewer had an uncontested dunk and then caught another laser-like outlet pass from Love like a wide receiver streaking down the football field. Brewer's twisting layup rolled off the rim, but Rubio stole the ball right back for another try that Brewer converted for a 98-64 lead.

"It all starts with defense," Hickson said. "If you look at the top teams in the league, all of them are top five or top 10 in defense, and that's not us right now."

NOTES: Adelman has no special plans for the All-Star break. "I'm just going to sit here and watch the snow," he said. Pekovic will be ice fishing again, but Adelman expressed no interest, only a bit of advice: "I hope he puts his foot in the water and ices it a little bit." ... Hickson has a double-double in 16 of the last 29 games. ... Martin said his hope is to be cleared to play on the five-game trip that starts Feb. 22. He will be re-evaluated the day before.

Copyright 2014 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Timberwolves 117, Nuggets 90

THE LEAD: The Timberwolves absolutely shredded a reeling Nuggets' defense in their 117-90 rout Wednesday at Target Center. All-Star starter Kevin Love dominated the night with 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists and Ricky Rubio chipped in 11 points and 12 assists. J.J. Hickson had 14 points and 13 boards for Denver (24-27), which lost its fourth in a row and sixth in its last eight. The teams head into the break tied in the standings, 6 1/2 games behind the eighth seed in the West.

The game was never close as the Wolves (25-28) led by 12 after the first and expanded the lead to 22 points halfway through the second where even the Wolves' reserves had their way offensively. The starters then returned and kept pouring it on, highlighted by yet another beautiful, Tom Brady-esque bomb from Love to Corey Brewer for the dunk -- a combination that's worked all year for the Wolves. Brewer scored 22 more points tonight, many of which came on fast-break dunks.

QUOTABLE: "We don't know where he (Brewer) got the two rebounds. He was past half court for the entire game. We told him we'd check the film to find out where those came from. He was out streaking and he brings a lot of energy when he does that." -- Wolves coach Rick Adelman

THE STAT: The Nuggets have given up at least 100 points in nine straight games.

HOT: Love rolls into All-Star break every bit the deserving starter on Sunday. He's second in the NBA in rebounding and fourth in scoring with a league-leading 44 double-doubles. He's averaging a career-high 3.9 assists, and has added a solid 3-point shot to his arsenal this year -- drilling six more from behind the arc tonight -- and will participate in the 3-point contest this weekend.

QUOTABLE II: "I'm going in there and winging it. We'll see how it goes." -- Kevin Love on his mindset heading into the 3-Point Contest

NOT: It appears Denver is becoming the "76ers of the West" with an increasing penchant for getting blown out. It's lost its last four games by 110 points, including getting hammered by 39 points by Indiana on Monday.

GOOD MOVE: Adelman has been questioned in recent games about his use of the reserves early in the fourth quarter, often allowing leads to dissipate. Adelman stuck with three of his starters and they scored the first nine points of the quarter to blow the lead up to 34 points.

QUOTABLE III: "Forty would be nice to be ahead. I'd relax then. We have a tendency to give up points quickly. A 20 point lead can suddenly be ten going into the fourth quarter and now it's anybody's game." -- Rick Adelman

BAD MOVE: So much for inserting Darrell Arthur into the starting lineup for defensive help. Before the game, Nuggets coach Brian Shaw indicated he felt Arthur was ready to help in their zone schemes. The Timberwolves scored 17 points in the first four minutes and 19 seconds -- a pace that put them at 188 points for the game.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: With the recent injury to Kevin Martin, Chase Budinger could prove a sneaky add for owners in need of 3-pointers. He typically camps behind the arc and has made seven 3s in his three games started in Martin's absence.

NOTABLE: Adelman returned to the bench Wednesday after missing Monday's game to attend to his wife's health.......There is no official word on the return of Ty Lawson, who suffered a fractured rib last weekend, though he is expected to return after the break.....There is also no timetable Nikola Pekovic, who has been out since late January with bursitis in his ankle......In Pekovic's absence, Ronny Turiaf has racked up double-digit rebounds in three straight games for the first time in his career.